Collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest

ABSTRACT

A platform bed, when collapsed from its fully assembled position, appears to be and functions as a storage chest as follows: The slats are removed from between the hinged side panels and off of the rails. The rails are then lifted out of the rail supports. Manually exerting pressure on the footboard/chest front toward the headboard/chest back forces the hinged side panels to fold allowing the collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest to fold in an accordion-like fashion. Once fully collapsed, the rails and slats are stacked and stored on the folded hinged side panels, headboard beam, middle beam, and footboard beam within the open chest. Then the hinged headboard panel/chest lid is rotated downward to rest on the footboard/chest front to conceal the contents in what appears to be a closed storage chest.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional (utility) patent application claims the benefit of corresponding provisional patent application No. 60/630,347 with a filing date of Nov. 24, 2004 including foreign filing license granted on Dec. 15, 2004 country code and number U.S. Ser. No. 60/630,347

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to bedroom and residential furniture and, more specifically, collapsible platform beds that when collapsed, are concealed in and can be considered other decorative residential furnishings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been previous designs of collapsible beds concealed in or disguised as other pieces of furniture. Typical of these are U.S. Pat. No. 74,849 to Bowers, U.S. Pat. No. 484,765 to Kimberly, U.S. Pat. No. 522,569 to Wherry, U.S. Pat. No. 715,370 Hagedorn, U.S. Pat. No. 756,162 to Faschian, U.S. Pat. No. 1,358,407 to Baker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,101 to Bettegar, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,057,334 to Hannum.

While these collapsible beds may have been suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they do not address issues relating to the use of inflatable mattresses and would not be as suitable or as substantial as the present invention hereinafter described.

With the increasing popularity of inflatable mattresses as viable guest sleeping accommodations and the lack of appropriate collapsible platform bed prior art, the need exits for a simple, easy to set up platform bed that will accommodate an inflatable mattress and elevate the guest off the floor allowing the host to convey the level of hospitality generally attained with more conventional beds.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an easily collapsible platform bed that will support an inflatable mattress and will create a more hospitable accommodation for a user than sleeping on an inflatable mattress placed on the floor.

An additional object of the present invention is that the aforementioned collapsible platform bed collapse and convert into a storage chest that contains all parts of said invention and can be considered a decorative furnishing in said collapsed/storage chest position.

SUMARY OF THE INVENTION

The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs.

The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of the present invention comprises a headboard and a footboard and a plurality of slats spaced equally in a parallel position with a common perpendicular center. Slats rest on rails which are positioned perpendicular and have two opposite ends. The rail ends are held in a fixed position with slotted rail supports attached to load bearing beams. Hinged side panels are attached to beam ends to create and maintain sufficient spacing of beams so as to accommodate rail length. Casters are fixed to the bottom of beams for ease of use.

With the slats and rails of this present invention removed, the hinged side panels can fold inward toward a perpendicular center between the headboard and footboard in an accordion fashion, decreasing the space between said headboard and footboard, until platform bed is completely collapsed. The casters allow for the headboard and footboard to easily roll.

Once collapsed, this present invention will have the external appearance of a storage chest. The footboard will be considered and function as the front of the storage chest. The footboard ends, fixed, perpendicular and extending to the full height of the footboard, wrap around the collapsed platform bed concealing and containing one half of the collapsed platform bed and will be considered and function as one half of the storage chest sides or ends. The lower portion of the headboard, which has a mirrored appearance to the footboard, will be considered and function as the back and remaining half of the sides or ends of the storage chest and conceal and contain the remaining one half of the collapsed platform bed. The upper portion of the headboard is a hinged panel that when pivoted along a horizontal axis, will be considered and function as the top or lid of the storage chest.

The height of the chest front and back, and/or headboard and footboard, extends vertically above the collapsed platform bed enclosed within thus allowing for additional storage inside the chest. The aforementioned additional space accommodates the rails and slats of the present invention.

The design of the collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of the present invention provides flexibility in ornamentation to the exterior of the storage chest and/or platform bed footboard or headboard in accordance with residential decor or individual esthetic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DAWINGS

The accompanying drawings show, for purpose of exemplification, without limiting the invention or claims, certain practical embodiments of the present invention. For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following Detailed Description of the Invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded, perspective view of one embodiment of the collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 in a fully collapsed position illustrating the storage chest appearance of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 in a partially collapsed position with rails (not pictured) and slats (not pictured) removed. FIG. 3 also illustrates the hinged side panels folding in an accordion-like fashion.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 in a fully expanded position ready to accept a mattress (not pictured).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention and advantages thereof are best understood by referring to the drawings, like numerals and terms being used for like and corresponding parts. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

In FIG. 1 there is shown, in perspective view, a collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest, generally designated 10, of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates, all or in part, the present invention includes twelve slats 11, hinged headboard panel/chest lid 12, headboard/chest back 13, four fixed side panels 14, headboard beam 15, eight hinged side panels 16, middle beam 17, twelve rail supports 18, three caster boards 19, four side panel hinge joints 20, eight beam hinge joints 21, footboard beam 22, six (five pictured) casters 23, footboard/chest front 24, and six rails 25.

Although a full-size collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest has been described and illustrated herein, collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention may advantageously also be constructed to accommodate twin-size, queen-size, and king-size commercially available inflatable mattresses by simply proportionally changing the lengths of slats 11, hinged headboard panel/chest lid 12, headboard/chest back 13, headboard beam 15, hinged side panels 16, middle beam 17, caster boards 19, footboard beam 22, footboard/chest front 24, and rails 25.

The act of collapsing one embodiment of the collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention from a fully expanded platform bed, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to what would appear to be and function as a storage chest, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is accomplished simply and without the use of any tools. The slats 11 are removed first by simply lifting slats 11 up from between the hinged side panels 16, and off of the rails 25. The rails 25 are removed next by lifting rails 25 up and out of the rail supports 18 which are slotted vertically. Manually exerting lateral pressure on the footboard/chest front 24 toward the headboard/chest back 13 will force the hinged side panels 16 to fold, thus allowing the collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 to collapse as depicted in FIG. 3. Once fully collapsed, as evidenced by vertical edges of the fixed side panels 14 contacting, the rails 25 and slats 11 are stacked and stored on top of folded hinged side panels 16, headboard beam 15, middle beam 17, and footboard beam 22. The hinged headboard panel/chest lid 12 can then be rotated downward to come to rest on the footboard/chest front 24 concealing the contents.

The durability and stability of the collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention when in a fully expanded position with slats 11 and rails 25 in place as illustrated in FIG. 4, rely on the proper distribution of downward force created by what would be considered normal use (hereinafter to be simply referred to as “the load”), when in use as a bed. The slats 11 are spaced equally from headboard beam 15 to footboard beam 22, and primarily spread the load that is then transferred to the rails 25. Each rail 25 is supported by two rail supports 18, one rail support 18 receiving each end thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the rail supports 18 are located, three each, on one side of the head board beam 15, two sides of to the middle beam 17, and one side of the footboard beam 22. Also as illustrated in FIG. 1, casters 22, two each, and caster boards 19, one each, are located on the underside of headboard beam 15, middle beam 17, and footboard beam 22, completing the transfer of the load from the rails 25 to the ground. It is important to note that the load bypasses the hinged side panels 16 which are not considered load bearing.

In one embodiment of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, slats 11, fixed side panels 14, headboard beam 15, hinged side panels 16, middle beam 17, rail supports 18, caster boards 19, and rails 25, comprise commercially available, dimensioned poplar and/or pine in industry standard nominal sizes. Slats 11 are 1×4. Fixed side panels 14 are 1×8. Headboard beam 15 is 1×10. Hinged side panels 16 are 1×10. Middle beam 17 is 1×10. Rail supports 18 are 1×3. Caster boards 19 are 1×3. Footboard beam 22 is 1×10. Rails 25 are 1×4.

In one embodiment of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, headboard panel/chest lid 12, headboard/chest back 13, and footboard/chest front 24, comprise commercially available, dimensionally stable, engineered wood product with finished edges and smooth surfaces.

In one embodiment of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, the eight hinged side panels 16 are fastened and allowed to fold, as illustrated in FIG. 3, by means of commercially available hinges of a continuous style (not pictured), installed to hinge manufacturer specifications.

Twelve hinges, one hinge each per four side panel hinge joints 20 and one hinge each per eight beam hinge joints 21, extend continuously along the full extent of each of the aforementioned hinge joints.

In one embodiment of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, six commercially available casters 23 are positioned, as illustrated in FIG. 1 (five pictured), and attached as per manufacturer specifications, two each, underneath and at the extents of caster boards 19.

Casters 23 project below the lower most surface of all other parts of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10, thus creating minimal friction with the ground for greater ease of collapsing or expanding collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10.

In one embodiment of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, rail supports 18 are attached with screws and/or nails and glue. Rail supports 18 have a vertical slot cut to a depth the sum of rail 25 width and slat 25 thickness. The aforementioned slot is cut to a width that allows the thickness of rail 25 to be easily received. The caster boards 19 are also attached with screws and/or nails and glue.

In one embodiment of collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, the span between the inside surfaces of the two fixed side panels 14 attached to extents of the footboard/chest front 24 (and likewise the span between the inside surfaces of the two fixed side panels 14 attached to extents of the headboard/chest back 13), equals the sum of the length of footboard beam 22 and ¼ inch, thus eliminating friction between the inside surfaces of the fixed side panels 14 and the ends of middle beam 17 for greater ease of collapsing or expanding collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10.

The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest 10 of the present invention, and many of its intended advantages, will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that, although the present invention has been described in detail, various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made in the manner, procedure and details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention hereinbefore described. 

1. A collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest wherein said platform bed comprising; removable rigid rails having a top edge, ends and a rectangular cross-section; a plurality of removable rigid slats having top surface and ends, wherein said slats are aligned respective of said ends of said slats, said slats being perpendicular to said rails, said slats resting on said top edges of said rails and said slats being equally dispersed respective to length of said rail; rail supports having top ends, wherein said top ends having rectangular slots respective of said rectangular cross-section of said rails thereby receiving said ends of said rails; hinged panels having hinged joints, interior surfaces, top edges, bottom edges and ends, wherein said hinged joints being parallel to said ends of said hinged panels thereby bisecting said top edge and said bottom edge of said hinged panels; beams each having inside surfaces, a top edge, a bottom edge and ends, wherein said beams are aligned respective of said ends of said beams, said beams align parallel respective to said slats, and said beams being equally spaced respective to length of said rails.
 2. The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of claim 1 wherein said rail supports being permanently attached thereto said inside surfaces of said beams with said top ends of said rail supports being respectively aligned.
 3. The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of claim 1 wherein said rails being positioned essentially adjacent to said hinged panels thereby stabilizing said collapsible platform bed.
 4. The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of claim 1 wherein said top edges of said hinged panels being aligned in relative position to said top edges of said beams and said bottom edges of said hinged panels being aligned in relative position to said bottom edges of said beams.
 5. The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of claim 1 wherein said ends of said hinged panels being hinged to said ends of said beams thereby folding inward following removal of said slats and said rails whereby said spacing of said beams diminishes.
 6. The collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest of claim 1 wherein said top surfaces of said slats being aligned in relative position to said top edges of said hinged panels and said ends of said slats being essentially adjacent to said interior surface of said hinged panels whereby eliminating load from said hinged panels.
 7. A collapsible platform bed with integral storage chest wherein said storage chest comprising; a front panel herein dually functioning as footboard/chest front having an inside surface, a top edge, a bottom edge and ends; a back panel herein dually functioning as headboard/chest back having an inside surface, a top edge, a bottom edge and ends; a top panel herein dually functioning as headboard panel/chest lid having an inside surface, and a back edge, wherein said back edge of said top panel being hinged hereto said top edge of said back panel; side panels having side edges, top edges inside surfaces and bottom edges wherein said panels being permanently attached one each to said ends of said back panel and one each to said ends of said front panel whereby all said top edges and all said bottoms respectively align; an inner space wherein said inner space being defined by all said inside surfaces thereby being said storage for said collapsible platform bed. 